Page 26 of Courting Claudia

They parked at the stable and found their mounts were already prepared for them. Her mare was a pretty chestnut and seemed docile enough. It had been a while since she’d actually been on a horse, and her nerves were on edge. But with the help of the groom, she managed to get up into the saddle without embarrassing herself.

They rode for a while in silence. It was nice, and her nerves began to subside. She’d always loved riding and didn’t realize until now how much she’d missed it.

“I can’t even remember the last time I rode out in the country. It’s beautiful.”

“I rather like the solace from London. I come out here often.” He nodded at her. “You handle a horse well.”

“Thank you. My mother loved horses, so as a child I rode a lot. When she died, Father closed our estate, and we moved to London permanently. I love London, and I don’t believe I’d want to live in the country. But I miss having a place to get away to.”

“You’re welcome to come here anytime to ride. Privilege as my employee. Now that I know you’re comfortable on a horse, come. I’ll show you the rest of the property.” He kicked his mount into a gallop.

She followed suit and soon found herself with the wind blowing through her hair and caressing her cheeks.

She and her mother had ridden like this, fast and wild. It had made her father angry—he thought they should have had more control. But her mother would simply nod and go off to her room. Claudia had forgotten what it felt like to let go and ride freely.

And before she knew it, she was laughing out loud as the horse ran faster and faster, chasing after Derrick. Wind whipped through her hairpins, pulling her curls free.

Finally Derrick stopped, and she reined her horse up next to him. In front of them sat a clear pond surrounded by a handful of willow trees.

“This is my favorite part of the property. It is what made me purchase this estate.” He helped her down off her mount. They walked to the edge of the water.

“It’s lovely.”

“Do you swim?”

“Oh no. That is to say I can, I suppose, prevent myself from drowning, but I haven’t been in water in years. Well, I bathe, which I don’t suppose we should discuss.” She bit her lip. “You can gather what I meant.”

He smiled, then motioned to the water. “Want to give it a try? The water should be warm.”

“Mercy no. I didn’t bring anything to swim in. And it would be highly inappropriate for us to swim alone together.”

“Ah, yes.” He nodded. “We must always do what is appropriate.” He took a step closer to her and gently tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “If you continue to live your life like that, you will miss all that makes life grand.”

“Is that so? And I suppose your life is grand?”

“I am my own boss. That makes my life grand.”

“What of family?”

“I have my aunt. She and I are close.”

“I meant a wife and children. Don’t you want to have your own family?”

“I was married once.”

He’d been married? Now he wasn’t. That could only mean one thing. How dreadful. She didn’t even know what to say, how to proceed. Perhaps he still grieved for the loss of his beloved wife.

So she said the only thing she could think of, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“No need to be sorry. You didn’t kill her.”

He didn’t sound like a grieving husband. He sounded sardonic and rather bitter.

Her curiosity got the better of her. “What happened?”

“It is not a story for today; perhaps someday I’ll tell you.” He picked up a rock and tossed it out into the water. The rock skipped three times, then sank, leaving rings in its wake.

“What was her name?”

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